Henna By Heather

It’s been a great week! I’ve gotten to do a lot of unique requests, random things, and work inspired by my friend Penni’s new book.

First off, here’s henna I did for my friend Donna. She’s a Master Gardener, and volunteers her time through the University of Rhode Island, helping people in their gardening endeavors. She gives me plants to try all the time. I often kill them, because the henna season and the gardening season are one in the same, and my plants don’t get the love they need. Oops. She gave me some ostrich ferns last year, which, unfortunately, I did also kill…. This years she gave me some sweet woodruff, which I believe is quite unkillable.

Donna doesn’t like flowery girly henna too much, so I often end up doing Moroccan and Mauritanian inspired stuff on her. I decided to break out of my henna-for-Donna comfort zone and do something a bit more organic, but not super girly. I thought the fiddlehead fern fronds were a good fit for her. Last week I was very obsessed with the idea of finding fiddlehead ferns to cook up as a vegetal delicacy. I left to go find some right after doing Donna’s henna. They grow where it is woody, shaded, and damp, so I drove down to South County RI where I remembered seeing some ostrich ferns growing last year… Unfortunately, I was too late, and instead of fiddleheads, there were a lot of cute little baby ferns, with their little fern arms fully outstretched.

So this fiddlehead inspired henna design is as close as I got to them this year. Next year I shall try fiddlehead foraging once again!

Fiddlehead Fern Henna Design on Donna

I did henna at the SoWa Open Market in Boston’s South End for the first time, after many years of either considering it but not signing up, or signing up but not being able to make any of the dates. I was really glad to give it a try, and my trusty “booth babe” and longtime friend Shauna was there to help me. It was lower foot traffic and interest were lower than I was hoping for, but I plan to try it once more just in case that day was a fluke because of the weather.

Be sure to follow me on facebook so that you get updates about the next time I’ll be at SoWa and other public events and festivals!

The first design is from one of Tammi Glanzer-Boudreau’s henna design books from Artistic Adornment, and the second is a scaled-back, simplified, and sped-up version of an abstract peacock feather design by Amelia Dr?giewicz:

Hand flower henna design inspired by Tammi of Henna Bee

Abstract Peacock Feather Henna Design inspired by Amelia Dr?giewicz

I spent this afternoon at Erin’s Perfect Cup, as I do on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. It was fun to do designs that ranged from some of my standard flowers and swirls to such requests as black cats and Sponge Bob.

Foot Flower Henna Design – with flip flops (and cutely painted toe nails)

Super Standard Henna Flowers

Sponge Bob Square Face in a flower – silly kids’ henna design

(Brown) Black Cat Henna Heart Hands for the Birthday Girl

For Erin herself, I did this piece from my friend Penni AlZayer’s new book Enlaced. It is fun to try to make my designs a bit more scribbly, to keep that loose and lacy feel of the designs in Penni’s book.

Lacey Hand Henna inspired by Penni AlZayer’s Enlaced

Lastly, here’s the henna I did on myself from Penni’s book.

Henna on my own hand inspired by Penni AlZayer’s Enlaced

I’ve been using Mohana henna exclusively lately, including in all of these photos. I continue to adore this henna for its fine sift and beautiful color.